Operation White Christmas
by Hakkaiduo
Summary: When Penny is upset about missing winter in Nebraska, it is up to Sheldon and the boys to come up with a way to cheer her up. S/P Friendship


Operation 'White Christmas

By: HakkaiDuo

Pairings: None. However if you look in the right places there is some S/P lurking

Warnings: Slight Howard perversions, but then what else is new?  
Spoilers: Up to 'The Maternal Congruence' though it is very vague  
Word Count: 5,491  
Summary: When Penny is upset about missing winter in Nebraska, it is up to Sheldon and the boys to come up with a way to cheer her up.

Disclaimer: I do not own Big Bang Theory... I just like playing with the Characters

Author's note: Ok this is somewhat an alternate timeline. Let's pretend that Penny's Brother's 'Chemistry' incident happens next year, after L/P is already done and over with. Ok? Ok. Thanks to Imjustanerd for listening to me ramble and providing a quick Beta for me! Thanks!

This was written for Paradox's holiday swap for Meagherz who gave me the prompt: "The gang at the beach in winter, having a snowball fight with balls of packed sand and one of them is building a snowman." Hope you like it!

* * *

For three years Sheldon has been able to count on Penny to be extremely cheery during the dubbed 'Christmas Season'. Despite her unpredictability, she has always constantly enjoyed the holidays to their absolute fullest extent, a trait Sheldon thought quite perplexing. Why be so happy at an arbitrary celebration of the birth of a fictional messiah? Especially when you show no other sign of devotion to said fictional messiah.

The first year, a mere four months after she moved into apartment 4B, and thus before she became 'close'(how she puts it) with the boys, she went back to Nebraska. The entire month leading up to her departure date, however, was filled with her constant humming of 'jolly' tunes (her words, not his) and her bright smiles during their encounters in the hall. Sheldon still can't believe the amount of decorations and lights she managed to fit on her door during that time. It was strange to see such a devotion to the holiday, well at least without one mention of Jesus from the person.

The second year, the year Sheldon will always remember as ' The Year of the DNA' she tried her best to include the boys in her holiday spirit. She was kind enough to think of them enough to get presents. Presents, Sheldon had to admit, at least for him, that were the most thoughtful and amazing gifts ever. The rest of the day, after he hugged her, she sang and laughed, making them eat her cookies and watch Christmas specials. It was…actually quite nice to see her, in her jovial mood, attempt to actually use the chemistry set Leonard gifted her. She asked him to show her while Leonard went to pick up Howard, who had his scooter in the shop, and Raj. Well, it was nice until she accidentally set off an exothermic reaction, filling the table with orange foam (an idea that he would use again in a plot for vengeance).

The third Christmas, while starting like the other two with bright smiles, jolly tunes, lights and a plethora of decorations (his awesome and accurate Newton ornament included) took a turn for the worse. Just when Sheldon was starting to accept these mass amounts of cheer and such as what Christmas was, even away from his mother, someone else's mother had to make him quite confused all over again. That was the Christmas when he spent most of it wondering why people couldn't just stick to being one way and not go changing and confusing physicists all over the place. However by Christmas day, he was over it, after a few days of mulling and glaring at Penny. It just didn't feel right to be mad at her on Christmas, as she came bounding over, all perkiness and light. Sheldon felt he could get used to Decembers like this, well except for the random kissing and such.

The fourth Christmas, however, seems to be a complete contradiction to what Sheldon has come to expect from Penny. Her entire demeanor was sullen and depressed as she slunk into the apartment one evening in early December. Both Leonard and he froze in the middle of setting up Rock Band as they watched her slump onto the couch and give out a large sigh. They watched as she stared blankly in space for a full minute before Sheldon spoke.

"Penny," She slowly turned her head to him, raising an eyebrow in question, "You're in my spot."

It was when she sighed again and moved without so much as a sarcastic look or comment that the boys figured that something was really upsetting her.

"Is everything alright Penny?" Leonard asked, moving to sit down next to her.

"Well, I just got off the phone with my mom, turns out I really can't go home for Christmas."

Leonard made a sound of understanding "Really? Why not?"

Penny sighed again, though this one more in annoyance rather than depression "Because my car broke down in November, and before you say anything Sheldon, don't." She shot a 'I am two seconds away from going Junior Rodeo on someone's ass and it could be yours' look in Sheldon's direction. He wisely closed his mouth. She continued

"So that completely cleared out what I was saving for my plane ticket to Nebraska. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but because of my stupid brother and his stupid trial, my parents can't afford anything now, so while he gets a nice fancy lawyer, all I get is a 'I'm sorry honey, maybe next year,'"

"Well," Sheldon spoke, from where he was hooking up the Microphone to the Xbox 360. "You have stayed in California for Christmas before. I don't see any reason for you to be upset now."

"But those other years I was able to go back for Thanksgiving or New Year's so it wasn't so bad. I won't get to home at all for the winter."

Sheldon stared at her "Why would you be upset about missing winter in the north? It's cold there."

Smiling slightly, Penny responded "That's the whole point. I love the snow, it's one of the things I miss most about Nebraska. Sledding, Building forts and having snowball fights, stealing your parent's clothes to sneak onto the snowman out front," Depression started to seep in her tone again. "It's wonderful to come in from an icy day and sitting with your family with hot drinks in front of the fire. Or just standing there, in the middle of the Winter Wonderland, all bundled up, nice and cozy, seeing all the white stretch for what seems like forever. It's just a great feeling,"

"Penny," Leonard spoke, "If it means so much to you I could possibly help with a ticket?"

Penny shot off of the couch "No Leonard, tickets this late in the game are like 800 bucks," Leonard began to interject. "I said No, Leonard. I would rather stay here than borrow money from you guys again," When she said this she looked directly at Sheldon, as if daring him to even try to whip out that peanut brittle can again. She headed for the door "I really don't want to borrow money from you guys, it makes me uncomfortable,"

"Penny it wouldn't be borrowing, it would be a gift" Leonard turned to face her, "So you wouldn't have to feel bad,"

"No Leonard. No. It's too much money." She walked out of the apartment, only to stick her head in a few seconds later "And I swear, if I find a ticket that I did not purchase myself anywhere near me, I will never speak to you again." She almost slammed the door when she left, leaving the two boys to stare at each other.

* * *

Sheldon, try as he might, was never able to really put Penny's depression out of his mind. While he would never understand why somebody would be upset about missing cold, wet, hypothermia inducing snow, he could understand the missing of the family. The homesickness that Penny must be feeling was something that he felt from time to time, even though he tries to deny it. Sunday dinners, Chicken fried meats, homemade Peach cobbler, Christmas at Mee Maw's, minus the over-the-top ness of his mother. He supposed if he was planning on going home, looking forward to these things, and suddenly have that taken from him, he could understand the reason behind Penny's depression.

This wasn't right though, Penny was supposed to be happy during the holidays. She was supposed to nag him until he agrees to put up a decorated fire hazard, force him to help make her overly sweet cookies, cookies that she makes him eat en masse. She was not supposed to sigh, sulk and loose that light in her eyes. It was different, it was a change from how Sheldon has come to expect Christmas with Penny and Sheldon was never one to handle change well.

Sheldon was changing into his Pajamas, slowly buttoning up the shirt when he happened to glance over to his dresser. There, on top, sat his most prized possession, protected in a UV resistant glass frame and given a place of honor. The napkin seemed to stare back at him. It was then, with memories of how overwhelming that day was, and how Penny never once expected anything in return for That, that he made his decision.

* * *

The next day, Leonard, Raj and Howard were all treated to Sheldon poking his head into their respective offices.

Leonard was his first target. "I need you to provide assistance in an important manner regarding Penny," Sheldon said without any preamble.

"Okaay?" Leonard answered as he adjusted a laser in his lab. He looked up at Sheldon, who was still standing in the doorway. "Yes?"

Sheldon looked satisfied "There will be a strategy meeting at our apartment tonight at eight sharp," He left the lab, only to poke in again "Don't be late like you usually are"

Raj was playing solitaire on Sheldon's computer, enjoying the brief moments when his Boss/Friend was out and about. He nearly jumped out of his seat when Sheldon swooped into the office.

"Raj, as your boss I am telling you, stop playing solitaire and be at my apartment at eight sharp to provide assistance in an important manner regarding Penny." Just as suddenly as he came in, Sheldon left. Raj was just sitting there, staring at the empty door-way when Sheldon appeared again.

"And get me a Mountain Dew for when I get back,"

When Sheldon ventured into Howard's lab, however, he was cut off before he could even begin speaking.

"Sheldon," Howard said in a very annoyed voice "Why the Hell are you in here,"

"Howard," Sheldon replied, completely oblivious to Howard's tone, "as I know I am not interrupting anything important, seeing as you don't make any noteworthy contributions to science. I am here to tell you that you are to come over my apartment at eight sharp to assist in an important manner regarding Penny,"

Howard grumbled as Sheldon left "And what if I am busy? Huh?"

Sheldon stuck his head back into the lab "I know you have nothing better to do. Don't be late,"

Howard just glared at the doorway. So what if the bastard was right.

* * *

That night three bewildered boys, who had no idea what Sheldon could possibly be up to, were greeted by the sight of the man himself, standing in front of his large whiteboard, hand behind his back, looking very professional.

"Gentleman," Sheldon said as he gestured the three to sit on the couch. Once they were seated Sheldon began to pace in front of the whiteboard "I have gathered you all here this evening to brainstorm a way to fully implement a plan to make Penny less likely to succumb to depression and general sadness during this holiday season"

After a brief moment of silence, Leonard was the first to speak. "You mean, find a way to help cheer Penny up?"

"Yes Leonard," Sheldon stated with agitation "That is what I said, do try to keep up."

"Yea Leonard," Howard laughed, 'Keep up."

Raj looked at Sheldon 'Is she still upset about not going home for Christmas?"

"Yes it would appear so. She is depressed over the fact that she is missing her 'White Christmas' Sheldon replied, turning around to write something on the board. "Which is why," he continued "I have decided to call this 'Operation White Christmas" He moved aside to show the large letters written in green across the top of the board.

"White? Like Pearly White?" Howard started in his leery voice. "Because if it is then I know a perfect way to cheer her up…"

"No Howard," Leonard, Raj and Sheldon all said at the same time.

"You didn't even know what is was,"

"Knowing you," Leonard Started.

"It was most likely.." Raj continued.

"…Something completely disgusting," Sheldon finished, while he was drawing out a chart on the board. "Moving on," He turned around again, taking on the air of a General rallying the troops in a War Strategy meeting. "As I am sure you are aware of, I grew up in Texas so I am not exactly versed in the idea of a 'White Christmas,"

"Well, Wait a minute," Leonard interjected. "What about Germany, I am sure it snowed there"

Sheldon just shook his head "If you would have bothered to read the corrected Friendship Questionnaire I returned to you, you would know that I only taught there during the summer months," he put his hand on Leonard's shoulder and looked down on him "Rookie mistake,"

"Yea Leonard," Howard grumbled sarcastically "Why don't you know every aspect of Sheldon's life?"

"Moving on," Sheldon continued, interrupting any retort Leonard would have made. "Leonard, you lived in New Jersey most of your life, and Howard, you went to MIT in Massachusetts for three years. I believe your input on this matter would be valuable." Sheldon turned to the Indian member of the group, "Raj, well frankly I am not really sure why you are here, but I am sure we will find a use for you,"

"Dude," Raj said while raising his hands, "What the hell?"

* * *

It was 5:37 on a Saturday morning. The apartment was a complete mess. Take-out containers were strewn all over the coffee table, some even on the floor. Cans of soda and a few Red Bulls were in various states of closed, open, empty and crushed. The large whiteboard that separated the living room from the kitchen was covered in scribbles and notes, all under the bold words: 'OPERATION WHITE CHRISTMAS'

There were three columns separating the board. One was labeled "Essence of W.C." and in it were things written like: White. Snowy. Abundant. Very White. As the night wore on things like: Sleigh Bells. Light-up noses. Chestnuts. The Chest and Nuts in that last one were each circled with illustrations of boobs and other things. After that the boys gave up on that column.

The next one was labeled 'Things of W.C in Pasadena'. That column had very little written in it. So far all the boys were able to establish was that Pasadena had a few White buildings and was a few hours away from Snow White.

The final column was simply labeled 'Ideas' That was filled with things ranging from small and simple "Get Penny a pretty picture' to 'Rent a snow machine and some reindeer and have Raj dress as Santa so he could be of some use," Needless to say none of those was circled, starred or elaborated on.

Howard and Raj were passed out on the floor. Howard was bizarrely cuddling one of the Xbox controllers in front of the T.V stand, while Raj lay spread eagled in front of the front door. Leonard was curled up on the chair, glasses askew. The three of them fell asleep a little after 4:45, after giggling over the Chestnuts for a good hour.

Sheldon, after his troops crashed, stared at the board for another half hour while waiting for inspiration to strike, before he too succumbed to sleep. He was sitting in his spot, curling up to the armrest, his feet tucked underneath him. His hands were covered in green smudges, transferring some of it to his pants as he slept. Still grasped tightly in his hand was the Green dry-erase marker.

The entire apartment was silent.

Sheldon suddenly gasped and jerked awake. His eyes darted around as his brain worked through the sudden idea. He jumped up, avoiding the random littering of garbage and bodies, and practically ran to the whiteboard. He snatched up the eraser and began wiping away the night's work. This was it; this was the 'Idea'. The ultimate Plan. They would not need any of these notes.

Once everything but the title on top was erased, Sheldon hastily began to write. He mapped out everything; drawing schematics and time tables. As the plan's details effortlessly flowed out of him, he couldn't help but wonder how he had not thought of this before. It was so simple in hindsight.

When the boys woke up two hours later, they were greeted by the sight of Dr. Sheldon Cooper, covered in green smudges. He was standing in front of a full whiteboard grinning like he had just proved how to gain the powers of Superman, The Green Lantern and The Flash all at once.

"This Gentleman," He said, sounding way too chipper for someone who only had 20 minutes of sleep, rapping his knuckles on the whiteboard. "This is how we give Penny her White Christmas!"

* * *

After hammering out a few finer details, the boys each had their assignments. They decided the best time for the gift was on Christmas Eve, which was one week away.

"This is going to be the best surprise ever," Leonard said.

The others agreed, coming together in an odd little group huddle. However, one by one they all turned to Sheldon.

"What?" he said, curious as to why his friends were giving him a 'look'

"Key word..." Howard started.

"…being surprise. As in secret," Raj continued.

"Meaning" Leonard finished, "Keep. Your. Mouth. Shut."

Sheldon gave them all an exasperated look, "Seriously. Do you honestly think I would ruin the surprise I thought of?"

"Well we all know your track record with secrets, _Batman_," Leonard pointed out.

Sheldon huffed, "I will be silent as the grave,"

The four boys looked at each other and put their hands in.

"Annnnnd Break!" they all said, amused by their own antics.

* * *

Throughout that entire week Sheldon avoided Penny as much as possible, and the boys made sure to never ever leave him alone with her. It was made more difficult as Penny started to catch on that something was up. She kept asking pointed questions like 'Why are you looking up Beaches Leonard?" and "Why do I need to make sure I am free on Christmas Eve again Sheldon?"

After a week of agony, where Sheldon twitched, ticked and practically burst from keeping a secret, Christmas Eve finally came.

Sheldon was sitting on the couch, waiting to hear the tell-tale signs that Penny would be home from her half-shift at work. Why people felt the need to go to a restaurant on Christmas Eve, Sheldon would never understand. Sure he ate out a lot, but never on Christmas Eve. Unable to sit still he went into the kitchen to check that all the food he and Leonard prepared was still properly packed and kept at a safe temperature.

Leonard called from the hallway, "She's home, just saw her car pull into the garage," He came into the kitchen and looked to Sheldon, "Wait a minute then go get her, I'm going to call Howard and Raj and make sure everything is set up, and then bring all the stuff to my car," He smiled at Sheldon. "This is it buddy. I hope she likes it,"

Shedon scoffed, "Of course she will," They both stilled when they heard 4B's door open and then close. Sheldon turned to Leonard, "Our watches are still synched. Be ready to leave at 0400 sharp," and with that he left to go across the hall.

Sheldon stood outside Penny's door, schooling his features. The big reveal, as Howard liked the call it while adding his own innuendo, was so close that Sheldon did not want to blow it.

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny"

_Knock Knock Knock_

"Penny"

_Knock Knock Knock_

The door swung open. Penny was smiling. "Me!" she cried. She started to chuckle as she leaned against the doorjamb, still in her Cheesecake Factory uniform.

"Penny," Sheldon said, not one to disrupt routine even though she insisted on it. "I am here to inform you that you need to get changed and come with me,"

She raised an eyebrow "Oh reaaally," Crossing her arms across her chest she leered up at Sheldon, "Would this have anything to do with why you have been either avoiding me or practically going into convulsions around me this past week?"

"I did not go into convulsions," Sheldon said, losing himself briefly in his offense. "I mean, No?"

"Oooh, real subtle Dr. Cooper." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she walked back into the apartment, leaving the door open for Sheldon to follow. She walked into the kitchen, looking in the fridge for a snack.

"So how do I need to dress?" She asked as her head was in the fridge rummaging. Silence greeted her. "Seriously Sheldon, give me some kind of hint," she complained as she turned around, "I don't want to look out of pl-…Are you cleaning?"

Sheldon looked up from where he was folding a randomly strewn towel. The small area on the couch and coffee table around him were suspiciously tidier. "Consider it a Christmas Present," he said, placing the towel on the growing pile of folded laundry.

"Your Christmas Present to me is cleaning my apartment? While I am awake this time?" Penny asked, throwing in that last barb for good measure.

Sheldon gave a bit of a twitch, "No," he said firmly. "Your Christmas Present to ME is allowing me to relieve my eyes of this chaotic vortex of entropy." He looked at her satisfied to get his own barb in.

Penny rolled her eyes "Yea sure, whatever, Knock yourself out." She walked toward her bedroom, "Can you at least tell how I am supposed to dress?"

"Casual," he replied as he moved to the kitchen, eyeing the dirty dishes.

Penny rolled her eyes once again and went into her bedroom to change. She returned twenty minutes later to a very tidy living room and kitchen. When she saw Sheldon looking in her pantry she decided to distract him before he began to organize her food. "Well, is this ok?"

Sheldon looked at Penny in a simple jeans and shirt. She managed to make the simple outfit look better than red carpet gowns. He swallowed "That is perfectly adequate," he then looked at his watch. Perfect timing. "Alright let's go,"

It was about a forty minute drive. Leonard was humming a random Christmas tune on the radio, in an effort to avoid Penny asking any questions. Sheldon was looking out the window, hoping the smell of the food in the trunk won't permeate the car's interior.

Penny was sitting in the backseat, watching as the two boys, who thought they were being suave masters of subtlety, were jittering and twitching and practically humming with excitement. She stayed quiet for a full 23 minutes, trying her best to stem her curiosity in an effort to allow the boys their moment. But as time ticked into the 24th minute she could hardly hold it any more. "Ok where are we going?"

Sheldon shot a slightly panicked look at Leonard and then shifted in his seat, pointedly staring out the window. If he ignored Penny, he couldn't blow it.

Leonard smiled, trying his best to sound casual, his words just ended up coming out in some kind of strange sing-song "You'll see"

After another 20 minutes of Penny trying to wiggle an answer out of the two, they finally arrived at their destination.

"Oh thank god," Sheldon breathed a sigh of relief as he got out of the car and headed to the trunk.

Leonard, looking around for Raj and Howard, congratulated Sheldon, "You did well, didn't give anything away,"

Penny crawled from the back seat. She took in her surroundings with confusion. She saw the ocean, the sun getting ready to set. Looking behind her she saw bluffs. Far to her right she saw the faint outlines of mountains. To her left she saw a few circus tents, and even further a pier with shops, rides and even a large Ferris wheel. She then looked to Leonard and Sheldon, each of them holding some bags.

"Guys," She asked, taking in their twin smiles, "Why are we at Santa Monica pier?"

Sheldon just smirked "Come on, just show some patience, even though I know it is hard for you," He was brimming with even more excitement that any harshness in his words was absent.

Penny followed them as they walked closer to the pier. Just as they were almost right on it she saw Sheldon hand off his load to Leonard. Leonard just nodded his head in her direction.

Sheldon walked right up to her, "You have to close your eyes now,"

"What? Why?" She looked around.

Sheldon sighed, "Just do as you're told for once," He leaned forward and covered her eyes with his hands. He moved to stand behind her. He shifted one hand over both her eyes and grabbed her shoulder. "Ok I'm leading you. Keep your eyes closed," Sheldon led her slowly onto the sand, gently pushing her left and right as needed. "Ok, we're almost there,"

Penny started to softly hear voices. As she got closer she was able to identify them as Howard's and Raj's.

"No, you are doing it wrong?" Howard hissed.

Raj snapped back, "Oh I supposed you are an expert in sand huh?"

"I'm an engineer; I know how to build stuff,"

"Oh yea, because Sand 101 was the first class you covered in MIT I am sure,"

They stopped when Sheldon loudly cleared his throat. Penny could hear them shift, possibly standing up. She finally heard Leonard.

"Wait," he cried, followed by the sound of something starting to hum, "Ok now,"

When Sheldon removed his hand, she snapped her eyes open. It took her a second to take it all in. She saw Leonard standing next to a little fold-away table that had containers of food on it, which smelt amazing and all the makings for a picnic. She then saw the small generator which was powering the artificial Christmas tree, its lights glowing softly in the sun set. Under the tree were a few presents, wrapped with… well they were wrapped by the boys. She looked over to where she heard the boy's voices. There she almost cried as she saw Howard and Raj standing in front of a proud looking sand sculpture. It was in the shape of a Snowman, complete with black button eyes, carrot nose, scarf, hat and branch arms. Next to it was the beginnings of another Sand person, a Sandwoman by the looks of it. She chuckled when she saw a small sled sitting in the sand, along with two little bunkers dug out, with packed sand-balls sitting next to them.

She looked to the four boys, each one of them nervously awaiting the result of the surprise. Leonard was fiddling with a random fork. Howard was aimlessly packing sand onto the Sandwoman's breasts. Raj was shyly kicking the small pile of sand by his shoe.

Sheldon, however, was staring directly into her face. He was searching for anything to tell him what she was feeling. He saw her tears and his face paled slightly.

"I know it is not snow, not by a long shot. But it is White,"

"White?" Penny looked around again. Sure enough, the sand was all white. She looked at him puzzled.

"You said you wanted a White Christmas," He smiled slightly at her, gesturing to their surroundings, "So we gave you a White Christmas, although different from what the common understanding of the Phrase,"

"But wait!" Leonard piped up, reaching for a package under the tree, "There's more," He handed it to her.

Penny read the tag. "To Penny, Love the Boys" She smiled watery tears as she slowly opened the gift. Inside was a jacket, some gloves and a 'summer scarf'

"Yea," Howard began, "It wasn't exactly cold enough to get you real winter clothes, but at least you can sorta feel like you're bundled up?"

She looked around at the boys. Her Boys. Her best friends she has ever had and will ever have. No one has ever done anything like this for her, not even close.

She was still choked up, "Who?" she said in a watery sigh, looking at the boys.

Leonard, Howard and Raj all turned to Sheldon, who was still standing behind her. She turned around to look at him too. He was standing there, slightly fidgeting, and his head looking to the ground.

"Sheldon," She walked up to him, tilting her head so she can look at him the eye. "You thought of all this,"

"Yes," H e replied, looking up into her face.

"Why?"

"Because…" He fidgeted some more, "You being cheerful during the holidays has become routine, and seeing you upset made me upset. I mean we are supposed to be friends. So I suppose as your friend I didn't want you to feel depressed anymore. And then I remembered that you got me that nap- oof!" Sheldon suddenly had his arms full of a sobbing, smiling Blonde. Unsure of what to do, he tentatively hugged back. "There There,"

"Thank you," she sobbed, "Thank you soo much. This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me," She finally released Sheldon and hugged the other boys in turn, even Howard, who wisely kept his hands to himself. A Christmas miracle.

Penny smiled as she knelt down near the sand bunkers. "You guys are truly wonderful," She grinned as she grabbed something behind her back. "Which is why I am sorry but I must do THIS!"

*THWAP*

Sheldon sputtered as he spit random bits of sand from his face. The sand-ball hit him square on the chest. He was starting to fume, why did she have to throw it at his chest? He was working up to a good indignant rant when a sweet sound burst through his ire. Looking over at her, his anger instantly melted away. She was laughing and smiling and Cheery again. She was exactly like how she was on previous Christmases. She smiled at him, her smile rivaling the sunset. He forgave her right then. When she turned her attention to the others, however, he knelt down. Just because he forgave doesn't mean he couldn't get revenge. He smirked an evil smirk as he finished packing his own sand-ball.

* * *

What followed then, was the great Sand battle of '10, a full out war complete with treason (the boys were shocked when Sheldon and Penny stopped charging at each other and went for them instead, cackling the whole time) and casualties (There was quite a big shell in one that smacked Howard on the face, however, since this was after a few off-coloured comments on his part, the jury was still out if that shell was planted by General Penny)

Afterwards, breathless and satisfied, they ate dinner. They all laughed as they sat in a circle on the blanket that was laid out. Howard, with a large red welt on his cheek, started telling humorous Hanukah stories, which started a group competition on who could top each other's stories. Drinks were served, so Raj was able to join in on the fun. Everyone was slightly surprised when Sheldon started to regale them with the story about his father and the Bob cat. However, noticing that he had a small glass of the 'Eggnog' they understood. Not enough to make him totally crazy, but enough to loosen him a bit. His amazingly good mood helped a bit as well.

When Dinner was over, the five of them worked on creating a Sandman army, all under Sheldon's guidance. They had the husband and wife General team, a few infantry and even attempted a cavalry man, which epically failed as none of them could figure out how exactly to make sand look like a horse.

By this time it was dark, the combined lights of the Pier and their little 'campsite' was enough to provide vision. The five friends sat, content to enjoy their time together, not wanting it to end.

Penny gazed at the moon. Feeling happiness she never could imagine feeling. She looked over at Howard and Raj, who were still trying to figure out how to make a Sandhorse. Leonard, lying on the blanket in front of her, was fiddling with a random shell he found. She then looked to Sheldon, who was sitting to her right. She was surprised to find him looking intently at her. His eyes traced her face.

"You're happy." He said.

She smiled, "Of course I am,"

He grinned, turning to look at the moon, "Nailed it,"

She couldn't help but chuckle. She slowly reached out and squeezed his hand, and she was glad to feel him give a slight squeeze back.

* * *

In years and years to come, no matter what was happening in their life, a certain group of four geeky boys and one Blonde actress would always manage to spend a winter night at the beach.


End file.
